The Dears
Date: November 14, 2006 Eternal Fire with Your Best Friends My third look at The Dears in the past six months proved to be the best of the lot. Although those earlier concerts illustrated that The Dears can thrive in a festival environment, a headlining club show obviously afforded the band greater time and a dedicated crowd. The Dears took full advantage of the setting, delivering a powerhouse set that once again lived up to the lofty standards of their past performances. The night started with Montreal three-piece Land of Talk. I was unfamiliar with the group prior to their set and I took a couple of songs to warm up to them; but they sounded good, particularly on their more rocking moments. Frontwoman Elizabeth Powell showcased a decent voice and seemed personable, although her tendency to back away from the microphone often left the banter between songs feeling like an overheard conversation amongst the band. A few slow guitar swaps also hurt the momentum, although the band's solid playing was engaging enough to make for a respectable opening slot. The Dears took the stage on a theatrical note, preceded by a recorded intro and welcomed with stark lighting that left the players silhouetted through much of "Ticket to Immortality." The sound mix was very good on the night; and if it still wasn't perfect when the band turned to "Bandwagoneers," Murray Lightburn's impassioned vocals were more than enough to drive the song home. The sight of Murray squinting as he powered through the "heaven knows" verse at the song's peak was a sign of things to come in the unrestrained set to follow. The Dears definitely concentrated on newer material on this night, following "Whites Only Party" and "Death or Life We Want You" with a detour to No Cities Left, before returning to their latest release, Gang of Losers. While the older classics are certainly always appreciated, I am sure that I will hear their return in future tours, so I had no complaint with the song selection. Of the No Cities Left selections, "Lost in the Plot" benefitted from the added energy of the live show, as always, while "The Second Part" showcased some great guitar work from Murray and Patrick Krief, although the stalwart rhythm section of George Donoso III and Martin Pelland also commanded attention. Valérie Joidon-Keaton's frequent smile spoke to the mood on stage, and her flute intro to "Never Destroy Us" was very welcome, as the cathartic explosion that marks the conclusion of that song is one of the greatest moments of any Dears show. "We Can Have It" temporarily calmed the storm, before fading out with the entire band joining the refrain of "It won't ever be what we want," whether or not they were near a mic. The strong sound mix was appreciated on "22: The Death of All Romance." As long as Natalia Yanchak's vocals are prominent enough to hold with Murray's, I've always found that song to be a great success; and this night was no exception. The set wound down with a second block from Gang of Losers. I had appreciated the band's slot at Virgin Festival more than their stint at Tulip Festival because that album had been released shortly before the latter concert. The benefit of another two months allowed the album to sink in that much more, leaving me greatly anticipating songs such as "Fear Made the World Go 'Round," "You and I Are a Gang of Losers," and "Hate Then Love." Fortunately, those were among the songs that the band delivered, before departing the stage, with the ringing feedback of Murray and Patrick's guitars continuing to echo after their exit. When they returned for their encore, they brought the heavy artillery in the form of "Postcard From Purgatory." This is the song that blew me away when I first saw the band; and, in my eleventh Dears concert, it dazzled yet again. Murray is never known for his loquaciousness; and, in fact, one of his earlier bouts of crowd interaction ended with him leaving a long pause and then announcing "a moment of silence . . . for my lost mind." Nonetheless, after allowing "Purgatory" to work through its long build-up, Murray had the band hold the groove while he offered an extended series of "thank yous" to the fans, which capped the fun mood of the night. After "Purgatory" reached its triumphant finale, Natalia's keyboards seamlessly led into "I Fell Deep," which made an excellent closer. The Dears long ago cemented their status as one of my favourite live bands; and their latest visit to Ottawa was another gem in a long string of stellar concerts. The Dears setlist 
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